Thin, transparent polymeric sheets (e.g., a polycarbonate sheet with a thickness of about 1-3 mm) have similar light transmission values to that of glass. However, the lack of stiffness of a flat thin sheet reduces its overall practical use in applications subjected to a wind load stress since a thin sheet does not withstand an expected wind load.
Increased wind loading, such as hurricane force winds, poses a problem with regard to sheet structures. For large load carrying capacity, sheets are designed to be stiff. However, this adds to the weight of the structure and if the external load exceeds the weight of the sheet structure, then the sheet structure might fail. Additionally, failsafe and damage tolerance design methods are limited due to limitations in the material performance. Hence, new stress stiffening methods are needed, which do not add to the weight of the structure, but that do provide increased structural support to the structure.